By Lisa Harding
The BYU gymnastics team was determined to prove to Southern Utah University that their last meeting was a mistake, and after Friday night's meet, the Cougars reinstated their authority, tagging the Thunderbirds with a 194.550 to 193.300 victory.
The Cougars kicked off the night on the vault with a determined energy that was evident on each competitor's face as she fought for a tight landing. Each score continued to build along with the team's energy. As usual, the event was anchored by seniors Dayna Smart-Allen and Alethea Boon. Both gymnasts threw solid yurchenko fulls, earning a pair of 9.825's to close out the event with a 48.700.
The Thunderbirds seemed out of place at the Marriott Center and could not settle in to make the adjustments on their first event, the uneven bars. The team was forced to count a fall, as well as a costly mistake, from standout competitor Elise Wheeler. This left the Thunderbirds trailing by more than a point going into the second event.
McKell Poulson gave another aggressive performance to start the Cougars off to a set of clean routines on their second event, the uneven bars. Sophomore Melissa Hough showed her improvements and consistency as she landed a flawless Yeager and a smooth double layout dismount. Senior Kylee Draper-Marvin finished her final bar routine in the Marriott Center with a solid and powerful performance that earned a 9.750. Boon cleaned up the event with a calm and smooth performance that has become her trademark to match Draper-Marvin's 9.750.The highlight of the event came with sophomore Megan Donehue's well-executed routine that was awarded a 9.825. It marked the second meet in a row where Donehue has emerged as the bar lineup's top performer. The team finished out the event with a 48.625, their second highest of the season.
SUU regained its composure as the Thunderbirds headed to one of their strongest events, the vault. Gymnasts showed off unconventional vaults and style with huge height and stuck landings, and the Thunderbirds walked away with a 48.725 on the apparatus.
Midway through the meet, the Cougars still held a decisive one-point lead on the Thunderbirds and intended to keep it that way. The Cougars put together a string of five solid routines on the balance beam, an event that can often spell disaster for a team with a lot at stake. Although the event caused some early-season problems for the Cougar lineup, the team clung to the apparatus and remained unfazed. Freshman Madeleine Johnson delivered a standout lead-off performance with a score of 9.675, proving that she can be relied on to hit when pressure mounts. Hayley Jensen and Smart-Allen anchored the event with two 9.750's to give the team a 48.575 total on the event.
Although the Thunderbirds trailed, they fought to close the gap on their competitors but small deductions on their floor sets added up and they were unable to push past the 9.800 mark on the event.
It was the final time BYU's three seniors would compete on floor in the Marriott Center and this gave the Cougars a huge advantage going into the last event. The energy on floor in the Marriott Center is always palpable, and Friday night it was double the usual. Danielle Goldman overcame a minor wrist injury to start off the show with a solid 9.725. Kylee Draper Marvin followed Goldman, flashing an easy smile as she nailed each tumbling pass with confidence. Marvin took the individual title on the event as a take-home souvenir. The performances continued to build after that, with Boon unleashing an uncharacteristic performance that showed off true enjoyment as she left the floor on the Marriott Center for the last time. Jensen ended the night for the Cougars with a solid 9.675.
Although the Cougars were happy to be back on top of their string of battles with SUU, BYU head coach Brad Cattermole was quick to realize that his team had the potential to post even higher scores.
'They did stick their routines, but the girls wanted to do better,' Cattermole said. 'I can't put my finger on it. Nothing went wrong, we just weren't as crisp and clean as I would have liked.'
Cattermole said the team needs to clean up simple mistakes that can often make the difference between a 194.00 and a 196.00. He said it often comes down to taking out the jumps on vault and hitting handstands within bar routines.
'We were looking for more of a score tonight,' he said.
The Cougars will have another chance to chase the elusive 196.00 team total tonight as they take on their second in-state foe, the Utah State Aggies. The Aggies are currently ranked 42nd in the nation with an average score of 191.330. However, the team is coming off a season high score of 194.450, which lands them within striking distance of defeating the Cougars.
The competition begins at 4 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse and will be the last home meet of the season for BYU. Admission is free in honor of Senior Night.